The Reunion E-Book

Tracie Podger

• Herausgeber: via tolino media
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Deutsch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Young love is so real, isn’t it? It was for Hayley and Sam. But it doesn’t last, does it? Or, it didn’t for them... Initially. Growing up on a South East London estate, Hayley Adams knew all the bad boys. But there was only one that all the good girls wanted. Sam Weston hadn’t enjoyed being tagged the bad boy; he just had a troubled past that he struggled with. This isn’t a romance; this is a story of falling in love, of second chances, and of loss. This is a story of true and lasting love, of forced separations, and of growing up.

Leseprobe

The Reunion

TRACIE PODGER

The Reunion

By

Tracie Podger

Copyright: TJ Podger 2023

S&P Publishing

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

If you have downloaded this book for free, you may have come across it on a pirating site. PLEASE, don’t use those sites. Tracie Podger does not get paid any form of royalty from them, and she most certainly DID NOT authorise the upload of this book to that site.

If in doubt, contact the author via [email protected]

Contents

1. Present Day

2. The Past

3. Present Day

4. The Past

5. The Past

6. The Past

7. The Past

8. The Past

9. The Past

10. The Past

11. The Past

12. The Past

13. The Past

14. The Past

15. The Past

16. The Past

17. Present Day

18. Present Day

19. Present Day

20. Present Day

21. Present Day

22. Present Day

23. Present Day

24. Present Day

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Also by Tracie Podger

CHAPTER1

Present Day

I logged on to social media to check my accounts, as I tended to do at 3a.m. when I couldn’t sleep and noticed a message.

From: Alison Weston

Hi, I’m sorry to reach out like this, and so randomly, but I’m hoping I’ve found the right person. I think you knew my dad, Sam. I know this is going to be really odd but I’m hoping you were his girlfriend for about ten years, when you were both young?

Anyway, he has an illness, and this is where it gets super weird, he has a list of things to do. One of them is to apologise to you. I don’t know what for, but he’s managed to tick nearly everything off his list, and he’s getting upset about the last two.

Is there any chance you could FaceTime or call him? He hates social media, but I’ve shown him your page (sorry, if that’s not okay). You could message me, and I’ll connect you both.

Again, I’m so sorry to reach out so blindly like this. Many thanks.

I read the message, and then read it again. I clicked on her name, we weren’t friends, but I did notice a friend request some months ago. I guess she intended to reach out then. I scanned through her posts. She looked like her dad, for sure! I smiled. More so when I saw a photograph of him.

He still had the buzz cut and he looked pretty fit. There was one of him on holiday, topless. He was toned and I chuckled when I saw one of his tattoos. He’d had my name inked across his chest when we were together. In that image, he’d had a semi-cover-up done. Flowers wove through my letters, partly obscuring them. Of course, I didn’t mind that at all. I’d cautioned him against getting my name in the first place.

My first love. The man who took my virginity, who taught me all there was to know about sex, so he said. I’d learned a little more since his days, of course.

I started to reply, and then deleted it. She’d see I had opened her message if she checked, but 3a.m., on just a couple of hours wine-fuelled sleep wasn’t the time to reply. I shut down my phone and lay in bed just thinking.

I was fifty years old and smiling away while lying alone. Recently divorced, although we had been separated for a while, I was used to lying alone. I enjoyed my own company. I had no kids but plenty of foster kids in and out over the years. I’d decided, at fifty, I was going to retire from that.

I picked up my phone again. I reread. I wondered what illness he had, there was nothing on her page and in the photographs. He looked fit and well. Of course, that didn’t mean anything, and I wasn’t sure on the age of the photographs. I looked for any information on Alison’s mother and didn’t find it.

I had been fifteen when I met him. I’d lied about my age, and he’d been so cross when he found that out. But I was in love.

I started to remember our time together.

CHAPTER2

The Past

Sam was the local estate bad boy: rode a motorbike, drove a car, a red Ford Capri. He had tattoos and a chipped front tooth from a fight. All the girls were in love with him, and he chose me.

We had been sitting in a field and the boys rode their dirt bikes, tearing up and down the grass hill racing each other. We’d nicknamed the hill the Mad Mile, although we had no idea if it was a mile long. It ran alongside a main road and a railway track. When he’d come over, my friends jutted out their tits and flicked their hair. I just sat, sullen and bored. I would have rather been at the stables. It had been my mum who insisted I should go out more with friends, except, I didn’t really have any. I was always that one on the outside looking in.

I had awful brown frizzy hair and no tits. I wasn’t quite boy-like but not far off. My ‘thing’ was, I was thin. Hips jutting out thin. I owned horses at the time and rode every single day, mucked out, and ran around fields catching the bastards when they didn’t want to come in. It had kept me fit. I guessed I had a look he liked.

He smiled and, of course, we all melted. He asked me if I wanted to ride on the back of his bike and I received scowls from the girls. I jumped up, having never been on a bike before and nervous as hell. I swung my leg over and gripped his sides. He wore a combat jacket, jeans, and biker boots. He grabbed one of my hands and pulled it around to his stomach. I slid the other voluntarily. I was close, my groin into his backside. It was arousing, more so with the vibration of the engine revving.

He turned his head slightly and called out, asking me if I was ready. I said I was, but I wasn’t. I was terrified. I rested my forehead on his back and closed my eyes. We shot off so fast, I was nearly left behind. I gripped tighter and screamed. He laughed. We outran his friends, he had the more powerful bike, and rounded the top of the hill. We slowed down, thankfully, and I was able to look up. My hair blew around my face and I started to loosen my grip. I laughed, looking over his shoulder. He turned his face slightly, and we were cheek to cheek almost.

“All right?” he asked.

I nodded. “I am now you’ve slowed the fuck down,” I replied.

He pulled back the throttle and the front end came up a little. I screamed and laughed at the same time. We circled the top end of the field, first alone, and then with some of his friends.

My stomach was in flutters, my heart was racing, I was in love before he’d even suggested we dated. I laughed to myself.

After about a half hour of just driving around, Sam returned me to my friends. I was bitterly disappointed. They weren’t really friends, but they sure all crowded around to ask me about him.

“Where did you go?”

“Did you kiss him?”

“Is he a good kisser?”

“Bet he grabbed a feel, not that you have anything to grab.”

These, and more, questions were thrown at me so quick I hadn’t the chance to answer any. They then started to gossip among themselves. I decided to leave. I wasn’t comfortable in their company, even though we sat together at school often.

I started to walk away, heading towards the dual carriageway and the large pub with a nightclub that doubled up as a youth centre. I’d have to cross but it was at a point where the traffic slowed. Just as I reached the edge, I heard a bike. I turned and he pulled up alongside me.

“You’re not crossing on your own,” he said, and then looked up the road to ensure it was safe. We crossed the first lane and waited on the grass divide. I then ran across the second lane while he pushed his bike across.

I stood awkwardly, knowing we were then going in different directions. He sat astride his bike, smiling at me.

“Do you want to come to mine for a drink?” he asked.

I nodded, speechless.

Because I didn’t have a crash helmet, he climbed off again, and walked his bike along the road back to his flat. It hadn’t occurred to me he might live in his own place and the closer we got, the more nervous I became.

“So your name’s Hayley?” he asked, and I was actually pleased he knew.

“Yes.”

“Are you Tammy’s friend?” he asked.

I nodded. “Sort of. Some days we’re friends, some days not,” I replied and then laughed.

His laughter with me caused my heart to miss a beat.

“Yeah, she’s not a fan of me.”

Tammy was dating his best friend, Karl. Because he’d asked about Tammy, I started to panic. Tammy was older than me by a couple of years. She was one year up from me in school.

“How old are you?” he asked.

“Sixteen,” I lied. I was a year younger.

“Good.” He nodded as we arrived at his flat.

He parked his bike and fished around in his jean pocket for his key. When he’d opened the front door, he held it for me to enter first. He had a ground floor flat in a block of four and in the nicer part of the estate. I stood in his hallway, not sure where to go. It was a small space with a kitchen and living room to one side, a bedroom and bathroom to the other. All the doors were open, and I don’t know why, but it pleased me to see his bed made and his kitchen tidy.

He removed his boots and hung up his coat. “Coffee?” he asked.

I nodded, hating coffee but not confident to ask for anything else. Surely, all sixteen-year-olds would drink coffee, I thought.

“Take a seat,” he said, gesturing to the living room.

I slipped off my trainers and walked through the door. There was a sofa against one wall, a television on a stand opposite. There was a bookcase loaded with books, some looked well read. On top was a photograph of a woman. An older one and since there was a similarity, I assumed it was his mum.

Other than that, the room was pretty bare.

“Here,” he said, handing me the mug and sitting beside me.

He was close and I was wedged into the end. He slid his arm along the back of the sofa and rested it there.

“Have you finished school?” he asked.

“No, I have... Erm, I’ll go into sixth form and college, hopefully.”

I had one year left to go before sixth form, and had no choice but to stay on since it was highly unlikely I’d pass any exams. I spent most of my time truant. It was only a friend who was super excited to get a Saturday job in a cheap shoe shop in the high street and hoped she’d be able to work there when she left, who gave me the kick up the backside I needed. I had nothing against shoe shops, I just wanted better for myself.

But I hated school and teachers, and most of the pupils. I loved learning, but I detested the lack of respect. I had always been taught respect was earned and not bullied. I wasn’t blaming the area, South East London, but most of the teachers didn’t seem to care. They were part of radical Labour groups and wanted to pay us to disrupt the local hunt, and protest about stuff we had no idea about, or thought we kids were all growing up to be thugs and the view we’d enjoy the most would be one from behind bars. Shouting, caning, and suspension or detention was the norm.

Sam sidled a little closer. I wanted him to kiss me, but I had no real idea how to kiss him back properly. I’d kissed a couple of boys before, but mostly closed lips and gritted teeth.

“I saw you at the field last weekend,” he said quietly.

“I was only there for an hour. I have horses so they take up my time.”

“Do you ride well?” he said, chuckling.

I blinked, totally getting the inuendo. “Horses, yes. I ride very well.” I smiled sweetly in return, and he laughed.

We chatted back and forth. He told me his mum had died earlier that year. She’d had breast cancer. His dad had committed suicide when he was young, and he’d found him. By the time he’d told me that, I wanted to hug him, not the other way round. I turned to face him. Our knees touched.

He leaned forwards and I closed my eyes. His lips didn’t meet mine initially. He held himself just millimetres away. I opened my eyes, but he was too close for me to focus on.

“Can I kiss you?” he whispered.

I nodded, of course I wanted him to kiss me. Instead of waiting, I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck. I pulled his head closer, and he laughed.

It was my first proper kiss.

We spent the next hour on the sofa just kissing. At one point, he’d rested back, and I lay on top of him. I could feel his erection through his jeans and was thrilled I’d produced that, so I thought. I was also terrified he, and I, would want to take it further.

It was with reluctance Sam then drove me home. I was so happy to pull up outside my house in his red car and not seeing my dad’s vehicle there. I was happier so when he rushed out and around the front to open the door for me. I stood looking at my front windows and hoping no one could see me. It was Sunday evening, and I should have been home a while ago.

I lifted myself up on tiptoes and kissed him again.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked.

“School, annoyingly.”

“After?”

“Sorting my horses straight after, that takes about an hour if I’m not riding,” I said, smirking at him.

“I’d like to see you ride,” he replied, also smirking. He looked up at my house. “How about I pick you up about six? We can go for a drive for an hour.”

“Will you take me out on your bike again?” I asked.

“I’ll grab a helmet for you.”

He leaned down and kissed me again. I was thankful he’d finished and was heading back to the driver’s side of his car when my front door opened. My mum stood in the doorway.

I watched him leave and then skipped up the drive.

“Who was that?”

“His name is Sam,” I said.

My mum frowned at me. She was pretty cool and very open. She’d had me at sixteen, married my dad, and although their relationship was very up and down, they’d stuck it out.

“Sam, huh?” she asked, closing the door behind us.

“I kissed him,” I said tentatively.

“How old is he?”

I actually didn’t know. “Seventeen, I think.” He had to be at least that to be driving a car.

“Mmm, be careful!”

“I know. I’m going to have a shower.”

I ran upstairs and to the bathroom. While I stood in the shower, I kept my hand over my lips. I wanted to protect his kiss for as long as I could.

CHAPTER3

Present Day

When it got to six in the morning, I got up. There was no point lying there anymore thinking about my early days with Sam. Not when I wanted to reply. I took a shower and dressed. I sat with a cup of tea, patting my dog, and scrolling through social media. Only then did I reply.

Hi, Alison. Well, this is a surprise and yes, I think I am the woman you’re looking for. I dated your father for about ten years from when I was fifteen – he didn’t know I was that young, I lied, so please don’t be cross!

I’m sorry to hear he’s unwell and I’d love to reconnect. I’m not sure what he has to apologise for, if anything, it is me who owes him the apology. But that’s another story. I’ll be guided by you as to how we meet or speak. Although, I would like to see him if that’s at all possible. I look forward to hearing back from you.

I read and then pressed send. Yes, I would like to meet him again for old times’ sake, and I was curious as to what he thought he had to apologise for.

I went about my day but checked a couple of times for a reply. There wasn’t one.

I was a little disappointed, but more worried. She’d said he was ill, and I hoped it hadn’t escalated. I went back to her social media. There were a couple of very recent photographs, one showed him in hospital. He was laughing as he stood in a gown with a band around his wrist and a cannula in his hand. Another showed him diving off a boat somewhere exotic. I had to scroll back a while to find him with his wife. I knew he’d married, and I knew her. She had been one of that circle of friends I’d had who were really half friends. She’d also dated my brother at one point. They had two kids, Alison, and a son. Over the years, his name had come up in conversation, and the only time I felt sad about him was when a friend of my brother’s and his wife’s married. I had been invited to the evening and found out Sam had left once he knew I was attending. That was a shame. I guessed I’d hurt him more than I thought.

The following day, I decided to take my dog for a walk, the predicted heat for that day hadn’t kicked in just then. As we walked, I chuckled to myself. I decided to call Pam.

“Hi, do you remember my first boyfriend, Sam?” I asked after saying hello.

“That’s a name from the past. Why?”

“His daughter got in touch. Apparently, he’s ill, and he wants to apologise to me. He had a list and I’m one of two things he hasn’t managed to get done yet. Doesn’t that make you think he’s dying rather than just ill?”

“Oh, wow. Yes, and what are you going to do?” she asked.

“I’ve replied and said I’ll speak to him or meet up.”

“How did she find you?” Pam asked.

“Facebook. She messaged me. I’ve had a look at her page, and she has photographs of him, so I know she’s genuine.”

“How strange, though. How long has it been?”

“Years. Twenty-five to be precise. I was twenty-five when we split up.”

“It’s sort of romantic, isn’t it?” she said, chuckling.

“I’ve no idea on that! I can’t remember what romance feels like.”

“Send me a link to her page. I want to have a look. Not that I’m doubting you, but you’re not exactly social media savvy.”

I agreed and promised to let her know what happened next.

Ursa had run off into the bushes and emerged as if he’d camouflaged himself up. I spent ten minutes picking off grass seeds, brambles, and stingy plants. I loved my dog; he was a rescue and the best company. He got me out of the house, and fit. I’d put on weight over the years, I wasn’t the skinny-minnie Sam used to call me. It bothered me but then I’d think, I’m too bloody old to worry about it.

I slipped my phone in my pocket and we walked for another hour through the woods. We stopped to wish a good morning to fellow dog owners and Ursa had a play with his doggy friends. By the time we got back to the car, the temperature was hotting up.

I spent the morning writing. At some point in my life, and I couldn’t remember the exact date, I’d decided to write books. I had always wanted to become an author. As a child, I’d pen short stories and read them to my nan. She was a huge letter writer and encouraged me constantly. I remembered when my first book was published, I’d dedicated it to her and given her the first copy off the press. I’d signed it for her, and we’d laughed about how embarrassing that had been. How surreal, as well.

That book sold tons and the film rights had been optioned. Although, it hadn’t made it to the big screen, it was still on the cards. I had grand visions of Pam and I walking the red carpet and of me being introduced as the author of the book. I highly doubted it would happen that way, but it was a nice fantasy.

Pam and I had met while I was dating Sam. We’d worked together for a few years and been friends ever since. When my writing had taken off and I knew I needed someone to help me, Pam was the first person I thought of. She was way more organised than I was, and a super admin officer. She kept me focussed and my mind on the job.

Once home, I made a cup of tea and settled in my office. I had editing to do and a deadline to keep.

I didn’t pick up my phone for a few hours. When I did, Alison had replied.

From: Alison Weston

Oh, that’s super. Sorry for the delay in replying, Dad had a turn, but we’re back on track now. I told him I’d contacted you, and he was rather annoyed to start with ha ha ha. He’s really pleased now, though. Did you know he has some of your books? I hadn’t connected them to you, but then I didn’t know your surname. I always knew about you though, we all did. Anyway, he read a couple of your books. He wouldn’t let me read them. I had to buy my own copies. I guess, I thought I’d get to know more about you from your writing.

Without it sounding horrid, because it wasn’t, you were always with us. I found the writing on the living room wall that you’d done when he redecorated one time. He wouldn’t let us paint over it.

Anyway, I’m so glad you’ve agreed, and to meet up with him would be amazing. If you could give me some dates, I can put them to him. He has quite a few hospital appointments coming up.

Bloody hell, I thought. I wasn’t sure I liked the idea he’d kept me ‘alive’ with his family. I was sure his wife couldn’t have been happy; I know I wouldn’t have. I screenshotted the reply and sent it over to Pam.

I wondered what had happened to his wife. There was no mention of her on Alison’s social media page and the last photo of him and her was from seven years ago. I brought up her page again and scrolled slower, looking for any mention of her mother again. There definitely wasn’t any, not even a post in memory of her.

I had to be careful I wouldn’t get too consumed. I had to work, but the temptation to google his wife’s name was strong. Periodically, I’d googled him, just out of curiosity. Nothing ever came up.

“Afternoon, that’s odd, isn’t it?” Pam asked when I answered the phone. “And you are meant to be working! That manuscript is due tomorrow,” she chastised.

“It will be there on time. And yes. I’m a bit worried now. Seems he never let me go after all. Can’t imagine what that would have been like for his wife.”

“He married whatsherface, didn’t he?”

“Leanne Sands, yes. She left my brother for him! There’s no mention of her on Alison’s page.”

“You’re not stalking now, are you?” she asked, laughing.

“I told you, I had a look to make sure she was genuine. Anyway, I’ve sort of committed myself now. I can’t backtrack, but do you think it’s a bit creepy? Especially the writing on the wall?”

She sighed. “No, I think it’s quite nice. You know he never got over you two. You were his everything.”

“So must Leanne have been for him to marry her. He wouldn’t have done so, otherwise.”

“He was on the rebound, I bet.”

“Oh, don’t say that. Now I feel worse.”

I’d have hated the thought he married someone in that circumstance.

“Well, don’t. You can’t change what’s happened. So, are you still going to meet him?”

“Yes, I think I will, for old times’ sake.”

“Then make sure you get that bloody manuscript done first!”

“Bossy as ever. I’ll get straight back to it now.”

We said goodbye and I made a point of turning off my phone and logging out of all social media. I spent the next three hours editing. I only stopped to grab more tea, a sandwich, and let Ursa into my office since it was the coolest place for him. He plonked himself down in front of the aircon unit and started snoring again.

Once I’d finished my work for the day, I made myself something to eat and waited for the heat to die down before I took Ursa out again. I walked and remembered.

CHAPTER4

The Past

When I walked out of school I came to an abrupt halt. Sam sat on his bike outside the gates. He had a spare helmet on the handlebars. His smile when he saw me melted my insides. I was elbowed by a couple of girls and was sure one called me a bitch as I walked over.

“Hi,” I said.

“You wanted a ride on the bike, and I finished work early today. So here I am.”

“How did you know what school I went to?” I asked.

“You told me you were in the same year as Tammy, so I assumed. I would have looked a right dick sitting here eyeing up the girls waiting for you, if I’d got it wrong. Get on.”

I pulled my already rolled over at the waist skirt up a little, tucking part of it in my knickers to keep it up. He glanced down at my legs. I felt childish wearing my white socks and school shoes. I was going to ask my mum for some tights. He handed me the helmet and once I’d slipped it on, he tightened the strap under my chin. He stared at me all the while without blinking. It wasn’t my heart that fluttered then. The sensation I’d experienced between my thighs was a throb and I instantly knew it was a want, a need. I stepped closer to him; his knee was between my legs.

“You’re ready” he said, and I nodded.

No matter what he meant, I was ready, for sure. Despite being fifteen, I was mature for my age. I’d started my periods when I was ten so felt my body more advanced than others my age.

I climbed onto the back and slid as close to him as I could. He kick-started the engine and with a look over his shoulder, he made his way from the path to the road. I smiled at the group of girls, and some boys, who stood to watch. I had to have been the coolest kid right then.

He drove me home and, again, I prayed my dad wasn’t there. Me turning up on a motorbike would have caused a meltdown. Me turning up with a boy probably would have done the same on its own. Thankfully, neither parent’s car was there.

“I have to go to the stables,” I said, standing awkwardly beside the bike. “You can come if you want.”

“Okay, go get changed, I’ll wait here.”

I rushed up the steps to the front door, frantically twisting the door key to open the damn thing. I dropped my bag on the floor in the hallway, my shoes were kicked off halfway up the stairs and my clothes discarded over my bedroom floor. I pulled a T-shirt over my head and my jodhpurs up my legs. I ran back down stairs and picked up my boots. I was sitting on the front step, sliding my boots on and smiling at him in less than five minutes.

I grabbed the helmet from him and placed it over my head. Again, he secured the chin strap. Then we were off. I had to point the way to the stables and climb off the bike to unpadlock the gate. My dad rented a field and stables for me and my horses. It was a short walk from where we lived, and I knew he was thinking about us moving somewhere where I could keep the horses at home. I had been so enthusiastic about that, but no more. I was in love, even after just the one day. I knew it was love because I thought about him all the time. I dreamt about him. I felt a tingle on my lips where he’d kissed me. I had no idea how he felt, of course.

I walked and he slowly rode beside me until we got to the wooden stable block. He parked up.

“What’s first?” he asked.

“I mucked out this morning. So, we get Sovereign in first because I need to exercise him. He’s out there,” I said, pointing to the paddock.

Sam followed me and at the gate I whistled. Sovereign came trotting over expecting a carrot, which he got. I slipped on his headcollar and gave the lead rein to Sam. He led him back. He wasn’t a natural around horses, but I handed him a grooming brush anyway.

“Follow the coat,” I said. While I got tack ready, he groomed my pony.

“Have you ever ridden?” I asked. He paused and looked at me.

“Many times.”

My stomach ached.

“Have you ever ridden a horse?” I rephrased.

“Never.”

“Would you like to try?”

“Sure, why not.”

I tacked Sovereign up and led him to a mounting block. Sam took the step up and I showed him how to sit on the pony. While he held the reins, I led him to the exercise arena. We just walked around, and he laughed.

“Jesus, this hurts,” he said, tugging at the front of his jeans.

We did one more lap and then he jumped off.

“Do you need help to mount?” he asked as I collected the reins in one hand and held the stirrup towards me.

“I do, yes,” I replied, and chuckled.

Sam placed his hands on my arse and on my third bounce, he pushed.

He sat on the fence as I rode. I was entered into a competition and needed to practice the dressage test. Sam was a distraction, but he also made me ride my best. I had wanted to impress him, not that he knew what I was doing. I was sidestepping as far as he was concerned.

I’d catch him in my vision. He wore blue jeans, white trainers, a white T-shirt, and a black biker jacket. His cropped hair was a dirty blond, and he had a little stubble around his chin. The more I looked, the more I realised, he wasn’t seventeen. He was older. I hoped it wasn’t by too much but, in all honesty, I didn’t care.

I was going to be sixteen in a couple of months and, in my mind, old enough to make some serious decisions. Of course, I wasn’t, but then, I knew best. I knew it all.

I finished my ride, and we walked back to the stables. While I hosed Sovereign down, Sam spread his straw to form a bed. Leaving my pony tied up and eating from his hay net while he dried, I showed Sam how I mixed up the feeds in the small shed that doubled as a feed and tack room.

We then moved to the barn to fill hay nets.

“This is cool,” he said, looking up at stacks of bales of hay and straw.

“There’s a cat that lives here. She catches the mice. She’s usually asleep up there,” I said, pointing.

“Show me,” he asked. I didn’t expect him to be a cat person.

We climbed up the bales, laughing as we fell, and finally making the top. We sat with our legs dangling over the edge, there was no sign of the cat.

“What movies do you like?” I asked him.

“I don’t really watch movies, or television. I prefer music.”

“And to read?” I asked, remembering his bookcase.

“And to read.”

“What music?” I asked and lay back.

He also lay, chewing on a piece of hay. “Pink Floyd at the moment.”

My dad had a few of their albums that he played a lot. “Oh, I love them.”

He turned on his side to face me. “What’s your favourite song?”

“Wish You Were Here,” I replied, turning my head towards him.

He shuffled closer. “I am here.”

We fell silent and I held my breath. My heart was racing, and my stomach was turning circles. He leaned down and kissed me, gently. I opened my mouth to accept his tongue. He moved his body, so it was half covering mine and I wrapped my arms around him. The throbbing between my thighs started and I wanted to squash my legs together to ease it.

Sam placed one hand on my thigh. His other arm was held over my head. It was the closest he’d been, and I would have liked him to completely cover my body. I inwardly cursed when he broke the kiss.

“I think that’s enough for now,” he whispered.

“I don’t think so,” I replied.

He laughed. “Greedy, aren’t you?”

I nodded. “Yes, now kiss me again.”

He did and it was more passionate than before. He stole my breath, I shook, and was absolutely gutted when he pulled away a second time.

“Are you a virgin?” he asked.

My cheeks flamed and I swallowed hard. I paused, just staring at him.

“Honest answers only,” he said, and I nodded.

“Have you kissed anyone like that before?”

That time, I shook my head.

“Good. I want to be your first for everything.”

I stilled, hoping that meant like, right then. It didn’t. “When you’re ready,” he added.

I wanted to shout I was bloody ready. My knickers were wet with desire for him. Instead, he sat up, jumped down to the next level, and then held out his hands. He grabbed my waist as I jumped as well. Everywhere he touched me, my skin prickled. The overwhelming desire to be close to him confused and frustrated me.

We stood for a moment. “How will I know I’m ready?” I asked.

“I’ll know.”

He then helped me back down to the ground. While he made up the rest of the beds, I added buckets of food, topped up clean water, and hung hay nets. We both walked to the field to grab my mother’s horse, an elderly boy I loved and a great companion for Sovereign. I also thought he might be suitable for Sam to ride if he wanted to do it again.

Once both horses were put to bed, I swept the yard, and he made up the feeds for the next morning. I had to call out which dustbin contained which food, and then he helped me fill water buckets. We stored the brooms, forks, and wheelbarrows, and then locked up. When I looked at my watch, two hours had passed.

“Now what?” he asked.

“I guess I have to go home and eat.”

“You could come to mine?”

I slowly nodded, not knowing what my mum would say. “Can we go to mine first?”

“Sure.”

That time I was allowed to fix the chin strap, but he had to check it. I climbed on the bike behind him, and we set off, only stopping for me to lock the gates. Again, I panicked as we got closer to the house and closed my eyes when we pulled up at the same time my mum was emptying the car of shopping.

“I won’t be a moment,” I told Sam when I took the helmet off.

I walked up the garden path. “What can I get?” I asked.

“Just that last bag. Is that him?” she asked, looking over at Sam. He had removed his helmet and smiled back at her.

“Yes. Please don’t make a scene. He’s a safe driver, or rider, or whatever it is.”

She looked at me. “I’m not the one you should be worried about. If your dad saw you on the back of a motorbike, your friend there better ride fast to outpace him.” She laughed and we carried the shopping in.

As we got to the front door, she paused and turned. “Are you coming in?” she asked him. “Don’t leave him sitting out here,” she said to me.

Sam wheeled his bike onto the drive and joined us. He took some bags from my mum and carried them through to the kitchen.

“I’m Danielle,” she said.

He held out his hand and she smiled. “Sam Weston. I want to say that, although I’m older than your daughter, my intentions are good. I’ve never had an accident on that bike, but I do own a car if you’d prefer her to be driven in that.”

I stared at him open-mouthed. Fuck, maybe he was way older than I’d thought. He sounded like a real grown-up man.

“I’d prefer she was driven in a car, Sam. I’ve seen you guys over the Mad Mile, and I cringe at how fast you all go.”

I hadn’t told my mum that was where we’d met, but guessed it was no secret all the kids on the estate went there.

“However, her father might not even like that.” She laughed.

“Erm, Mum? Sam invited me to get something to eat with him. Can I do that?” If there was ever a sport for eye-pleading, I would win.

---ENDE DER LESEPROBE---